Tag: <span>food safety</span>

The safety of our food supply is a major public health concern for consumers, government regulatory agencies, and the food industry. Earlier generations may recall when fresh produce was largely domestic and seasonal. Today we live in a global marketplace, where fresh fruits and vegetables may be on the vine overseas one day and on our grocerā€™s shelf the next. Although this has provided more yearround variety of foods for the consumer, a lack of uniformity in established agricultural standards and practices among international trading partners (e.g., sanitary issues and inspections) may ultimately lead to deleterious health effects. This is evident in the number of food-borne illness outbreaks and associated deaths. Negative economic consequences also result through lost wages and productivity, and health care costs. The impact can be far greater in developing nations. Therefore, refining domestic and international food safety policies is at the forefront of many government agenciesā€™ efforts toward protecting the public health. Reducing the number of such incidences has become a priority for government regulatory agencies and the food industry…

Regulatory